Navigating a Shift from Hybrid Work to More In-Office Time?

Do the sidewalks and parking lots near your office seem busier? Are the local cafes more crowded? Do the commercial real estate agents you know look a bit happier?

Whether you like it or not, 2025 just might be the year of the Total Return to the Office.  

Post-pandemic, many leaders still struggle to determine the best work environment for their employees and their businesses. The highly adopted hybrid work schedule appeared to provide the right combination of flexibility, but employees often ignore the established in-person days, and leaders often overlook the lack of individuals actually making it into the office.  

We’re seeing the tide changing. More companies are requiring employees to return to the office full-time, and those that remain hybrid are tightening up on compliance. It’s likely that employee in-office time will increase, although some won’t be enthusiastic about mandated days in the office or a total return. Remember that employees won’t be returning to the same work environment they left at the beginning of the pandemic five years ago. With more employees physically in the workplace again, companies need to ensure they have a strong culture and an environment that supports employee collaboration, innovation, sense of belonging, and ability to get work done efficiently – whether in the office or working their remote days elsewhere. At the same time, leaders must recognize that employees may need support to adapt to schedule changes, new ways of working and the business uncertainty many organizations are currently experiencing. Focusing on employee well-being must be a key component of rebuilding company culture.

Padilla’s third annual C-suite Perspectives study confirmed that leaders are leaning into company culture and employee wellness. When C-suite participants were asked about their current priorities, establishing and maintaining company culture increased 7 points, and supporting employee well-being increased 6 points since the 2023 survey. As we anticipate seeing more employees return to more in-office time, here are some company culture tips to consider:

Culture does not build itself. Establishing a strong company culture takes focus, time, planning and ongoing support.

1. Start with the “why.”

• If your company is considering bringing employees into the office full-time, sharing the reason “why” is critical. Employees need to hear not only how being in the office benefits them as individuals and teams, but also how it impacts customers, partners and the company’s short- and long-term goals. Backing up in-office benefits with data and examples helps build trust and confidence in returning to the office.

2. Evaluate your company culture.

• Take an honest look at your current company culture. Involve remote, hybrid, and in-office employees in the discussion to better understand how they view it. Explore what’s working well and what isn’t. Talk about what will change with more employees physically in the office. What are the perceived benefits and challenges? Identify gaps and determine the best way to address them.

3. Review your on-site workspace.

• It’s important to shape the physical environment to support different types of work. Are there enough comfortable spaces for in-person collaboration? Do you have the right equipment for on-site teammates to connect with fully remote colleagues easily? Are there quiet spaces where employees can have private conversations or focus without interruption? How about areas for mingling, casual conversations, lunch breaks, and other social activities? The physical work environment significantly impacts how employees will accept and adopt to returning to in-person work. If employees feel it’s difficult to get their work done in the office, they’ll be less willing to come in without pressure.

4. Determine how to work together  – and stick to it.

• Teamwork in a hybrid environment can be challenging, but it’s not impossible. Bring team members together to determine the most productive and engaging ways to work together. Decide what days and times are best for recurring meetings, the preferred channel for group communications, where to store shared files, how to plan for out-of-office schedules, and other ways of staying connected.  

5. Be intentional with in-office days.

• Effective collaboration in a hybrid environment can be challenging. Active planning for the work week boosts productivity significantly. For example, in-office days can focus on team planning, brainstorming and other collaborative activities that best use in-office time. Remote days can be dedicated to heads-down, focused work. Defining daily focus allows employees to plan and supports work/life balance, which is essential to employees across all life stages.

6. Address any in-office frustrations.

• One of the most consistent pushbacks that we hear about coming into the office is that most employees continue to participate in meetings from their laptops in their workspace, which prompts the question, “Why do I have to come to the office to see my colleagues on a screen?” Fair feedback. But the cure is simple: require employees to join group meetings in person when they are in the building – which is what we all did before the pandemic.  

Work and life aren’t mutually exclusive. Supporting employee well-being is an essential component of a strong company culture, benefiting employees, customers, and the company at large. It’s a balancing act, but worth the effort. Here are some approaches to consider:

Identify key work-related challenges that impact employee wellness

• Although well-being differs from one employee to another, it is often connected to the desire for work/life balance, which may also look different across life and work stages. Ask employees for input. For example, “What three things have the biggest impact on your work/life balance? Employee responses can help determine where to focus employee well-being resources and support.

Develop healthy work/life boundaries

• Set guidelines and expectations for working hours, including when you do not expect employees to be available or to respond to emails (i.e., during an approved vacation or late at night). Share and reinforce guidelines and expectations. Most importantly, make sure leaders are modeling these boundaries. If they’re not, employees won’t follow them either.

Reinforce employee well-being resources

• Many companies offer support through their healthcare plans, but employees often don’t know that they exist, or might have privacy concerns. Communicate about wellness resources regularly so employees understand what’s available and how to access these programs.  

Employee well-being has a significant impact on employee and company performance – but it can be challenging to navigate. Padilla’s study revealed that 50% of the C-suite think employee well-being has improved over the past year, but only 29% of employees agree. This gap in perception is an opportunity for leaders and communicators to help build stronger employee cultures – whether that remains on a hybrid work schedule or shifts to a total return to the office.

This article was first published on O'Dwyer's.